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THE TREADMILL- WE WALK, WE RUN, WE JOG, AND WE CLIMB HILLS. IT IS A FAIRLY SIMPLE PIECE OF EXERCISE EQUIPMENT; BUT KNOWING HOW TO PROPERLY USE A TREADMILL WILL HELP YOU GET THE MOST BENEFIT FROM YOUR EXERCISE AND AVOID INJURY.

How about form?

Walking or running on the treadmill should match the way you would walk on the ground. People frequently alter their gait when on the treadmill. Posture and stride length are two things affected. You should walk with your head and chest up, keeping your core tight, and shoulders back. Think of a nice, tall posture; not hunched over or looking at your feet. If you keep your arms relaxed, they should swing naturally at your side. Try to avoid shortening or adjusting your stride and focus on a natural movement.

What about the handrails?

Holding onto the handrails affects the quality of your exercise. ACSM notes that holding onto the handrails results in an inconsistent walking pace. This creates an unnatural form which may results in muscle strain or discomfort.

Additionally, holding the handles will basically make your workout easier. The amount of effort required is reduced, this reducing the number of calories expended during your exercise bout. Two offenses can be made here- holding onto the side handles and holding onto the one in front.

Offense #1

Holding onto the side bars allows you to support your body weight while you walk. The load is transferred from your legs to your upper body which reduces the amount of effort it is taking to walk. Your cardiorespiratory system does not have to work as hard to move your body with the extra support. Holding on this way makes it easier on your body; less work = less calories expended.

Offense #2

Holding onto the handle right in front of you is a common offense as well, especially when you are walking at an incline. Walking or running up an incline forces you to shift your body weight forward and push yourself up that hill. By holding on to the treadmill, you allow yourself to lean back by extending your back and arms. The purpose of walking up that hill for the extra challenge is negated by leaning back. Shifting your weight forward while walking/running up that incline keeps your body upright, working your core and postural muscles.

Balance

Balance improvements will not come from hanging on to the treadmill for stability. Holding on trains your body to rely on the extra support. Letting go can help you improve your balance and allow you to have a natural gait.

Considerations

Of course, there is an exception to the rule. If you are just starting out using a treadmill, then holding onto the handrails until you are accustomed to the movement. Once you become comfortable walking, try using only one hand for support then transition to letting your arms swing naturally.

If you have any issues with coordination or balance, then utilize the handrails for a little support. Try holding on with a light touch by placing your hands on top of the handrails. If you feel unsteady, you can then hold on, but you won’t put the pressure on your upper body.

For additional information, please refer to ACSM’s treadmill guide.
http://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/selecting-and-effectively-using-a-home-treadmill.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Prevention is Most Important: Non-contact ACL injuries can be prevented! A proper warm-up and proper form can prevent non-contact ACL injuries and other common lower body injuries.

Warm-up: A warm-up is just as important as the workout. When a proper warm-up is implemented for athletes in particular, you reduce the risk of ACL, ankle, Quad, and Hamstring injuries. When athletes perform a Dynamic warm-up statistics show an improvement on power and agility testing vs. static stretching. If a muscle is properly warmed-up then it is able to have move more efficiently and allows the athlete to perform at there peak. There are many different types of dynamic warm-ups and we are always here to help show you one that targets the movements of your specific sport.

Body awareness: As our bodies grow athletes in particular can find they have trouble with their coordination. Creating Neuromuscular efficiency is vital for any athlete to be successful. Neuromuscular efficiency is the ability of the nervous system to properly recruit the right muscles. Proprioception is another vital requirement for athletes. Proprioception is our minds perception of where our limbs are in space, for example, if you put your hand up to catch a ball but you don’t have to look at your hand to actually see where it is before the ball is caught. You know your hand is to the side of you and that it is moving to where the ball is being thrown. Both Neuromusculat efficiency and Proprioception are things we often take for granted, but when these two functions are performing at their best our ability to accomplish specific athletic goals is spot on.

Strengthening: Most athletes want to jump into strengthening right away because they think that’s the first step to improving. Realistically strengthening should be done gradually and during the whole process form and body awareness is key. Elite athletes focus on strengthening only after their flexibility and movement is properly warmed-up. If you strengthen while you are form is off you are only enforcing the poor form which will increase your chances of injury. We are here to help teach and over all educate our athletes, because to do what they love their bodies need to stay healthy and efficient.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are major concerns for many athletes. 70% of all ACL injuries are non-contact injuries. This means when a player is running and decides to stop or change direction they end up injuring their ACL.

Women high school and collegiate age are 3-4 times more likely to suffer a non-contact ACL injury than males competing in the same sports. As females develop, their hips become wider and hip to knee angle becomes greater which increases the risk of a knee injury. In the U.S., 20,000 to 80,000 high school female athletes experience ACL injuries each year.

Male athletes are slightly less likely to injure their ACL, but still a concern. Even with treatment after an ACL injury the athlete increases the risk of premature osteoarthritis.

We are here to help educate and improve athletes chance of success!

How many steps should I be taking? How many steps do other people get each day? How many steps per day does the average American take?

Adults should aim to take 10,000 steps each day. For children and teenagers, The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 12,000 steps per day. Research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2004 showed a wide variation in the average step count of the 200 men and women who participated. The men surveyed averaged 7192 steps per day; women averaged 5210 steps each day.

Once you have a pedometer or fitness tracker, wear it for a few days to determine a baseline. Make a note of the average number of steps you are taking on a daily basis. For example, you walk 3,100 on Day #1, 2,800 on Day #2, and on Day #3 you walk 3,400 steps; the average of these days is 3,100 steps per day. This is your starting point- continue to aim for at least this many steps every day.

Start Setting Goals. Now that you have a starting point, you can start to create a short term goal. For example, you may want to add 1,000 steps to your daily count. You can do this by planning to walk for 10 minutes chunks of time throughout your day. Once you achieve your short term goal, create a new one!

Some ways to add more steps into your day include: taking the stairs, parking farther away, getting off the subway one stop earlier, walking during lunch, taking a lap around the office, taking the dog for a walk in the morning, walking with your spouse after dinner, or walking around the mall on cold/rainy days.

Set your long term goals. Think about setting long term fitness goals; your short term goals are the building blocks to help you achieve your long term goals. Continue to create small goals to help get you closer to your ultimate goal. Maybe you want to walk 5 miles every day. Maybe you want to get more than 10,000 steps. Maybe you want to complete a 5k walk/run (3.1 miles). Maybe you want to increase your walking speed. These are your goals… it’s up to you to set them!

Be sure to track your progress along the way. Some pedometers may have memory features, but for many you will need to record your total number of steps at the end of the day. Simply add it to your calendar or appointment book, create a computer document, or make a note for yourself in your cell phone. Choose what works best for you! Tracking your progress helps you meet your goals and lets you know when it’s time to set new ones.

The take home message is to get up and get moving! Increasing your daily physical activity will definitely benefit your weight loss goals, heart health, and ease of your activities of daily living. Utilizing a pedometer to track your daily activities can assist you in reaching your goals.

If you are looking to track your daily physical activity in the form of counting steps, then a pedometer may be the best option.

Try it out. If you have ever been curious about how much you are moving throughout the day then wearing a pedometer can answer your question. A pedometer counts your steps for any activity that involves step-like movement. This includes walking, running, stair climbing, and movements as you go about your activities of daily living.

Cheaper than a fitness tracker. If you are only looking to count your daily steps, then a pedometer may be the best option. Fitness trackers do more than count steps which is why they cost more. Generally, the more features it has, the higher the price. A basic pedometer should not cost more than a few dollars. Some of the more expensive ones may include a memory feature or hook up to a computer.

Start making activity goals. The simplest way to start increasing your physical activity is to make small daily step goals. Wear your pedometer for a few days and make a note of how many steps you are currently averaging per day. Once you know your starting point, you can create short term step goals for each day. Your short term goals are the building blocks for your long term goals. Along the way, your small goals will change as you come closer to reaching those bigger goals.

10k steps per day. This is the recommended number of steps you should be aiming for on a regular basis. This number follows the American College of Sports Medicine’s guidelines for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week. If you’re not there quite yet- don’t fret! Creating those short term goals along the way will help you build yourself up to 10,000 steps.

Pedometers can be discreet. Most commonly worn on your belt, pedometers are more discreet than activity trackers which are often worn on the wrist. You can even tuck them in your pocket or in a purse held close to your body. You won’t notice it’s there… until your curiosity gets to you and you keep checking how many steps you’ve taken.

No excuses! It’s time to get up and get moving!

Fitness and activity trackers are hot on the market right now. It seems like every major company has their own version. But do you need one? What are the benefits of using an activity tracker?

Accountability. This is a big one for those who need a little push out the door to get moving (especially in the morning). Most fitness trackers work with third party apps where you can challenge a buddy to a workout and post your planned sessions to keep yourself accountable to your exercise program. Research has shown that social exercise aids in helping us perform more regular exercise and avoid pulling the cover over our heads to sleep in. Plus, when you do fit in that activity, you can share it on social media with your active friends!

Motivation. Another benefit to fitness trackers is the visual progress you see as you log your time moving. This includes seeing how many steps you take during the day and the motivation that comes with that information. On average, it is recommended that we take 10,000 steps per day to be in the healthy, active category of movement. Setting daily goals for yourself helps you get those extra steps so you reach 5 miles, 15 flights of stairs, or 1,000 calories- whatever your daily goal may be!

Healthy Eating. We all know living a healthy lifestyle involves both regular activity and a healthy diet. Trackers often feature a fuel and hydration log to help you keep track of the quantity and quality of your every day fuel. You can enter your food choices for each meal including the quantity and see calories for that serving. Tally your water intake during the day will keep you on track. Evaluating the quality of your diet may help to inspire better choices.

Goal Setting. There is nothing more helpful in achieving weight loss and other goals than to have a carrot dangling out in front of you to keep you inspired. One of the key features of fitness trackers is the ability to set goals and achieve them. Whether it is to lose ten pounds or increase your daily activity, by tracking your exercise, fuel, and sleep you are hands on in learning what it takes and how to achieve any goal you set. Goal setting keeps you focused on progress and personal fitness evolution. It’s the difference between wanting to be fit, and actively engaging in a plan to live a fit and active lifestyle.

Tracking your Sleep. The quality of your sleep can affect everything from your metabolism, cravings, energy, mood, and safety. Many fitness trackers can also track your sleep patterns, not only showing you how long you slept, but whether it was deep or light sleep throughout the night and how many times you woke up. Realizing the quality of your sleep is less than optimal can inspire life changing sleep habits, which will improve your life performance.